The Romani
The Romani of Gaia (Also known as the Travelers) Language = The language of the country the tribe or group resides in. = Arts and Creation = Music-- created using violins, guitars, tambourines, flutes, accordions. = = Dance-- often take on those in their region of origin, but often include Flamenco, Samba, and Belly Dancing. = = Art-- Bright, colorful, intricate. Often based on music, songs, old lore, or sometimes even the prophecies of Seers. = Tools = Dining utensils, brushes, combs, toothbrushes, mirrors, etc. Basic tools. No technology is used by most, unless they are the settled rather than nomadic. The Romani do not have their own currency, but barter between one another, and exchange their services for only enough currency to purchase what they need. = Customs and Traditions = Generally speaking, sexual activities are frowned upon prior to marriage. In the traditional sects, sexual acts are considered Marime (see below). Marriages are, in some circles, arranged to promote various inter-tribal relations. = = Marime-- concept of reducing spread of “pollution”. Upper body is considered clean, while the lower body is considered impure. = = The contamination is not only bodily, but spiritual. This filth, known as marime, can be slowly washed away with time and experience, but some are able to do so more quickly. Those with stagnant energies may spend years being marime, but Sparks are considered cleansed more quickly due to being able to expend and rid themselves of the contaminated energies. = = Clothing for the upper body was washed separately from clothing for the lower. = = Romani never took baths, only showers or cleaned themselves in rivers or creeks (downstream from the cleaning of clothes, tools, etc., to avoid contamination). = Shelter = For traditional and travelling Romani, sturdy wooden wagons with thick canvas are often used as shelter. Otherwise, simple, small houses and apartments do. Unless housing a large number of Romani, houses need not be large and extravagant. = Values = The Romani value their history and their people above all. Any non-Romani is considered an outsider and is treated with caution. Even those who are Romani and have become settled are not generally considered wholly Romani. = = Nature and all things from it are to be treated with utmost respect-- every part from hunted animals is used, seeds from plants are resewn from where they were plucked, etc. = Knowledge = The Romani have unrivaled knowledge of the spiritual world, and produce perhaps the largest number of Seers of any ethnic group. They prefer to believe that this is perhaps because of their devotion to nature and its preservation. = Government and Law = The Kris-- the Romani ruling body. Their decisions are based on moral code and guidance by ancestral forces. = = Romaniya-- Gypsy Law = = There are no law enforcement bodies among the Romani. The judgement of peers is often enough to keep most in line with their beliefs, and if it isn’t, the Kris is able to exile Romani from the group (though this is can be reversed with proper redemption). = = Laws that the Kris tend to rule often relate to the concept of Marime. The Romani try to minimize the influence of the Gadje law and government on them, despite the relationship with the host country. As such, they prefer to have the Kris pass judgement on those who have broken serious Gadje law, insisting that the Gadje government let them handle these situations. Only in extreme circumstances will they allow one of their own to be subject to the law of the country. = Religion = Pantheism: the belief that the universe is the divine. = = The other gods of Gaia exist, but are merely facets of the universe itself rather than those responsible for its creation. = = They are, however, particularly fond of Talesia and recognize her as the patron saint of the Gypsies. Despite the fact that she was marime, none of these situations were by her choice and her suffering was thought to cleanse her of her impurities. They are protective of Talesia as a Demi-Goddess and demand the respect of those that claim to worship her-- if you cannot respect the Romani community, you cannot worship Talesia. = Clothes = Light fabrics with embroidered patterns. = = Men-- Often wear basic dress shirts with vests and slacks. Casual wear includes tanktops and shorts. = = Women-- Blouses, often ruffled with puffed sleeves and low necklines. Long skirts that go past the knees. Casual wear includes short-sleeved shirts and shorts (often knee-length) = = Rings, bangles, and necklaces are integral for all, often for their sentimental values rather than price. = Food = Meals are often made with whatever is on hand and this varies from region to region. Garlic is the most popular herb among them, always used. = = Regardless of location, coffee is a staple for the Romani and is the drink of choice in any social situation. This is often without cream or sugar, though it isn’t unheard of. = = Stews and soups tend to be common, along with spit-roasted meats. Meals tend to be very hearty and include many rarely-used edible parts or both plants and animals. = History = The true origins of the Romani have always been disputed-- some say that they came from India, while others say that they came to Tempera from Egypt in Minvia. In truth, the Romani are something of a conglomerate from both. The groups wandered Tempera around the same time, being rejected from community after community before falling in with one another. Finding their views and experiences strangely similar, they formed an alliance. Over time, the two groups melded traditions and beliefs to become what is now known as the Gaian Romani. = = The Romani continued to be a very abused ethnic group, experiencing not only hardship and a pariah-like status, but also prosecution at several points in history. Some of the biggest disasters in history have been blamed on the Romani, who were executed and put on trial for simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their only crime was the one of being a mysterious and misunderstood group who teetered on the edge of the bizarre and extremely supernatural. = = One of the biggest blows to the Romani population came during the Gaian Holocaust, when almost a quarter of Tempera’s Roma became the victims of genocide. 250,000 Romani died along with the other victims over the course of the Holocaust. Reparations were never paid to them and they were forced to shoulder the burdens of these deaths alone. = = More often than not, the Romani took small victories against those that did not treat them with the respect that they desired. However, rage was widespread when they heard about the death and torture of a young Gypsy girl by the name of Talesia. Her life among the gadje (non-Romani) had been nothing but painful and represented all of the horrible treatment that they faced every day. There were riots all over Tempera for justice. The uproar caused in the community by Talesia’s death set in motion the first positive push for the Romani being respected as equals (though by no means did they forget or forgive those that had mistreated them). = = From this time to present day, the truly traditional Romani have dwindled in number. Over time as they became more stable and accepted, they began to branch off into various sects-- some adopting a more settled lifestyle that others would liken to the Gadje. There are only a few tribes that remain true to the old ways, and they number in the mere hundreds. As such, any number of Romani may have many different backgrounds fostered in a variety of (similar) traditions. = = Despite that many have settled, they still do remain discriminated against in many areas. In this way, they are hesitant to form true bonds with those outside of their communities. When they do, they are harsh judges of character and demand respect before becoming trusting of the party in question.